Leah Van Dale has always been a powerhouse, first captivating fans as WWE’s fearless Carmella, now channeling that same strength into an entirely new arena: motherhood. But her transition wasn’t easy. After facing multiple miscarriages, a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, and a gruelling postpartum recovery marked by physical setbacks and emotional upheaval, Leah found herself searching for support that simply didn’t exist. So, she built it.
Here, she opens us about how her experiences inspired Snatch, a bold new platform reshaping the postpartum conversation and supporting women through the messy, beautiful, and often overlooked realities of early motherhood.
Glamour: You’ve had such a powerful and personal journey through motherhood. Can you share what inspired you to create Snatch, and how your own experiences shaped its mission?
Leah Van Dale: I created Snatch because I know firsthand how isolating and overwhelming the journey to motherhood can be. After experiencing several miscarriages—one of which was an ectopic pregnancy that put my life at risk—I felt completely blindsided, terrified, and alone. When I started sharing my story, I realised how many women were quietly going through the same thing. The response was overwhelming—women reached out with their own experiences, telling me my openness made them feel less alone. That was the moment I knew I had to turn this into something bigger. My postpartum experience with my first son was also incredibly difficult, and I felt like no one was really talking about the messy, unfiltered side of motherhood. Snatch was born from that need—to create a space for real, raw conversations that remind women they’re not alone in this journey.
Glamour: Many women feel unseen or unsupported after giving birth, especially when the focus shifts entirely to the baby. How does Snatch aim to address this gap in postpartum care?
LVD: Snatch is about the mom—period. So much of the attention after birth shifts to the baby, and while that’s natural, it can leave women feeling unseen, unheard, and unsupported. I wanted to create a safe space where women can show up exactly as they are—whether they need to vent, ask questions, or just feel less alone—without guilt, shame, or judgment. Motherhood, especially postpartum, is hard. And while we’re constantly told to be “grateful,” that doesn’t make the exhaustion, anxiety, or mental load disappear. Snatch is that support system so many women don’t have in person—whether they’ve moved away from family, don’t have close friends, or just don’t feel comfortable talking about the messy parts of this season.
Beyond the community aspect, we focus on education—because I know how unprepared I felt, even when I thought I was ready. I didn’t realise I had postpartum rage until I was nine months in, and that experience made me realise how little we talk about these things. That’s why we created The First 30—a straightforward, expert-backed survival guide for the first 30 days postpartum. It covers everything I wish I had known: newborn sleep (and mom’s sleep), mental health, postpartum recovery, lactation, and the realities of this transition—without overwhelming you with fluff or endless “shoulds.” We want women to walk away feeling informed, supported, and seen, because this chapter is hard enough without feeling like you’re going through it alone.
Glamour: You’ve spoken openly about your miscarriage and postpartum recovery from Drop Foot. What role did community and emotional support play in your healing, and how does that translate into the Snatch platform?
LVD: When I went through my miscarriages, I leaned hard on my family because I felt completely unprepared and blindsided. Miscarriage wasn’t something I ever imagined would happen to me, let alone twice, and it shook me to my core. Then, after giving birth to my son, I faced another challenge—drop foot caused by nerve damage from a difficult labor. Suddenly, on top of sleepless nights and learning how to care for a newborn, I couldn’t even walk properly. Looking back now, almost two years later, I realize how incredibly difficult that season truly was. Therapy became a lifeline for me—I started during pregnancy to prepare for postpartum, but it was in those early months that I really needed it. Talking through my trauma with a therapist reminded me I wasn’t “crazy” and that what I was feeling was valid and real.
That’s why mental health is such a core pillar of Snatch. I’m passionate about normalizing therapy, medication if needed, and honest conversations around mental well-being. No one should feel like they have to push through postpartum struggles—or any part of motherhood—alone. Snatch was born out of my belief that community and emotional support can truly change how we experience these challenges. I wanted to create the kind of safe, judgment-free space I wished I had during those moments—a place where women can be vulnerable, find support, and know that what they’re feeling is both real and valid.
Glamour: The postpartum period is often underestimated in terms of both physical and emotional impact. What are some of the most common misconceptions you’ve encountered, and how is Snatch working to change the narrative?
LVD: One of the biggest misconceptions about postpartum is that you should just feel grateful and happy because you have a healthy baby—and while that’s true, it’s not the whole story.
I remember in those early weeks, I was overcome by emotions I didn’t expect. I had wanted to be a mother for so long, and yet I found myself crying constantly, wondering if I would ever feel like myself again. There’s so much guilt tied up in that—this belief that if you’re struggling, you must not be appreciating what you have. But the reality is, postpartum is an emotional rollercoaster, and both things can be true: you can be wildly grateful for your baby and still find this stage incredibly hard.
The physical side is just as misunderstood. Society’s obsession with “bouncing back” is toxic—your body has just done something extraordinary, and yet there’s so much pressure to look like you never had a baby. I’ve shared before how I worked out my entire pregnancy and recovered fairly quickly, but even then, I felt like a stranger in my own body. When people would say, “You don’t even look like you had a baby,” I found it offensive—because I had gone through something monumental, and my body was forever changed. Snatch exists to change this narrative. We’re talking openly about the messy, unfiltered side of postpartum—the baby blues, the emotional toll, body image struggles, and everything in between. Through our newsletters and Snatch Chat community, I share my own raw experiences while bringing in experts who help normalise these conversations. It’s not about scaring women—it’s about making them feel less alone and more prepared for the reality of postpartum, both emotionally and physically.
Glamour: Snatch blends expert advice with lived experiences. Why was it important for you to combine professional resources with real-life community stories?
LVD: When I created Snatch, I knew I didn’t want it to feel like another sterile, clinical resource. There’s plenty of information online, but so much of it feels cold or impersonal—like you’re sitting in a doctor’s office getting instructions. I wanted Snatch to feel elevated, warm, and relatable, with that mix of sophistication and realness that makes women feel seen and understood. That’s why blending expert advice with real-life community stories is so important to me.
I’m very intentional about the experts I bring in. They’re not just there to rattle off medical facts—they’re compassionate, passionate about their work, and genuinely want to help women. But I also believe lived experience matters just as much. I’m not a medical expert—I’m a mom who’s learned through her own messy, beautiful, and sometimes painful experiences. Snatch combines both sides: expert-backed information to empower women, and the raw, unfiltered stories from our community that remind us we’re not alone. It’s by women, for women, and that balance is what makes it so special.
Glamour: From a wellness innovation perspective, what do you think is currently missing in the maternal health space—and how is Snatch pushing the conversation forward?
LVD: The maternal health space often stops at the baby, but Snatch is here to remind everyone that the mother’s well-being matters just as much—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Too often, the resources available to women feel clinical and cold, or they skip over the messy, unfiltered realities of pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. There’s a huge gap between clinical advice and real-life experience, and Snatch bridges that by combining expert knowledge with honest, raw stories from women who’ve lived it.
We’re breaking the silence around the parts of motherhood that are often ignored—postpartum mental health, body image, identity shifts—because real support starts with real conversations. Through expert-led programs like The First 30 and our Snatch Chat community, we’re giving women both the education and emotional connection they need to feel truly supported during one of the most transformative times of their lives.
Glamour: Your transition from WWE Superstar to wellness founder is a striking one. What lessons from your athletic background have influenced your approach to maternal fitness and recovery?
LVD: I spent over 10 years as a professional athlete with WWE, and one of the biggest lessons I learned during that time was the importance of recovery and taking care of my body—because we only get one. My body was my toolbox, and if I wasn’t fueling it properly, training smart, stretching, or recovering the way I needed to, I couldn’t perform at my best. That mindset has carried over into how I approach both pregnancy and postpartum recovery. In WWE, I learned that strength isn’t just about how hard you can push, but how well you can recover—and I think that applies to motherhood, too.
With my first pregnancy, I stayed active and trained all the way up until I went into the hospital to give birth. I really believe that staying consistent with my workouts and nutrition made my postpartum recovery so much smoother. I’m taking the same approach now with my second pregnancy, even though this one has been much harder on me. I’ve been sick well into my third trimester, but I’ve learned to give myself grace—if I miss a workout or all I can stomach is mashed potatoes one day, it’s okay. Consistency over time is what really matters. I’ve also learned the importance of mental recovery. My years on the road—traveling 52 weeks a year—left little room for mental or emotional balance, and I didn’t even realise how much that affected me until I stopped. Now, I prioritise my mental health just as much as my physical health, because the two go hand in hand. WWE taught me that if your mind isn’t strong, your body will follow—and that’s why I make mental health a non-negotiable part of the conversation with Snatch. That philosophy is deeply rooted in Snatch—encouraging women to care for both their bodies and minds with consistency, compassion, and the understanding that progress isn’t about perfection.
Glamour: Femtech is growing rapidly, but much of it is still focused on fertility and pregnancy. How is Snatch expanding the lens to include postpartum and beyond?
LVD: Femtech has made incredible strides in fertility and pregnancy, but I think there’s still a massive gap when it comes to supporting women postpartum and beyond. That’s where Snatch comes in. Postpartum isn’t just a few weeks after birth—it’s months, sometimes years, of physical healing, mental shifts, and figuring out who you are as both a woman and a mother. With programs like The First 30, our expert-backed blogs and newsletters, and honest conversations around topics like postpartum depression, intimacy, and identity, we’re expanding the lens to include everything that comes after the baby arrives.
We’re also tackling the emotional and mental health side of motherhood, which is often overlooked in femtech. So much of what we do at Snatch is about creating resources and community that support the whole woman—not just during pregnancy, but through postpartum recovery and the long-term transitions that follow. Our goal is to normalise these conversations and offer both practical tools and a safe space for women to feel seen, understood, and supported long after the “fourth trimester” ends.
Glamour: What advice would you offer to mothers who may feel isolated, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their identity after having a child?
LVD: I struggled deeply with my identity postpartum—and, honestly, I still do. My son is 20 months old, and there are days when I still ask myself, Who am I outside of being a mom? When my WWE contract expired while my son was just 14 months old, I found myself questioning everything—my career, my purpose, and even the little moments I used to take for granted, like binge-watching a show with a glass of wine or leaving the house on a whim. Becoming a mom is life-changing in the most beautiful way, but it also comes with a sense of loss for your old life, and that’s something we don’t talk about enough.
My advice for moms who feel isolated, overwhelmed, or disconnected from themselves is this: you will get your life back. It may not look exactly like the one you had before, but you’ll discover a new version of yourself—a stronger, wiser, badass version—that you’ll grow to love. The early days of postpartum can feel like time is standing still, like you’ll never get through the trenches. But I promise you will. One day, you’ll drink your coffee hot again. You’ll have quiet moments for yourself again. And when you do, you’ll feel such an incredible sense of empowerment for having made it through.
In the meantime, it’s okay to reach out for support. That’s why I created Snatch—to give women a safe space where they feel seen and understood, even in their hardest moments. You’re not alone, and you’re not failing. You’re just becoming.
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